Avs' Alt was a standout prep QB

Minnesota native in for 2nd time this season

The Denver Post

Posted:
03/26/2018 09:14:57 PM MDT

Updated:
03/26/2018 09:15:15 PM MDT

LAS VEGAS — Defenseman Mark Alt is finally finding his place with the Avalanche.

On Monday, he made the Avs' lineup for only the second time since being acquired off waivers from the Philadelphia Flyers on Feb. 26. The 6-foot-4 Alt, a former quarterback who led his Minnesota high school to a 2009 state football championship, had practiced with the team for three weeks before finally making his club debut Saturday in a 2-1 shootout victory over Vegas in Denver.

"It had been a while," Alt said of his long layoff Monday from T-Mobile Arena, where the Avs concluded a home-and-home set with the Vegas Golden Knights. "Obviously, you try to stay in shape and try to do things at game speed in practice, but at this point of the season, practices are pretty short. The game was a little fast at the start (Saturday), but it slowed down and I felt pretty good out there."

Alt is the son of John Alt, a 13-year offensive tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs. Mark was born in Kansas City but grew up in St. Paul, Minn., where his 6-8 father coached the offensive line at Cretin-Derham Hall High School. Mark was a two-sport prep star, starting at quarterback for 2 ½ seasons and leading Cretin-Derham to the Class AAAAA 2009 title.

The younger Alt often leans on his father on how to handle the rigors of being a professional athlete.

"The guy played (in the NFL) for 13 years, and although all sports are different, the preparation, that mental side of it, that can be the same," Mark said. "The situation I was in when I wasn't playing, I gave him a call and he talked me through it — just telling me to stay focused and treat practice like a game."

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A hockey standout at the University of Minnesota, Alt could have played college football, his first choice when he was younger.

"High school football took precedent, because of my family and everything, so I usually missed the first couple weeks of the hockey season," Alt said. "You can kind of get away with it in high school hockey, but in other cities, you probably couldn't. I came from a football family, so hockey was something I could do on my own. I just grew to love it, and when it came down to it, I felt I had a better opportunity in hockey."

Alt was a second-round pick of the Carolina Hurricanes in 2010 and signed with the team in 2013 after three years with the Gophers.

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